GOP in full panic mode.

June 6, 2024

Republicans are scared. They understand that Trump's conviction for election interference is a devastating blow that threatens their prospects in November. If they lose—and they should—their eight-year delirium will come crashing to an end like a bad acid trip. MAGA extremism will not recede entirely, but its high-water mark will be in the past.

That prospect frightens MAGA to its core because they understand they have no vision, no organizing principles, no plan other than revenge—Trump's revenge to be exacted in a second term. If they lose that dark animus, the GOP’s reason for existence evaporates.

The surest sign of the GOP’s panic is the apoplectic rage that characterizes the ugly threats of Republican officials and surrogates after the guilty verdicts. They have lost their collective minds and their grip on reality, history, humanity, decency, and rationality. Their threats are a sign of weakness—not strength! Like the threats of schoolyard bullies everywhere, they emerge from deep-seated fear and insecurity; they are designed to conceal the underlying panic of imposters worried they will be found out for who they really are.

Still, Trump and his surrogates' parade of threats and lawless actions is difficult to bear—especially when they pile upon one another as they did on Wednesday. But as we review those actions, remember that they are signs of desperation and fear by a party on the run. All it took to put the GOP into full panic mode was a verdict by twelve randomly selected citizens who heard the truth about Trump's corruption.

We should not dismiss the revenge fantasies of the Convicted Felon and his pathetic homunculi. But we must keep them in perspective. For all the wild talk about retribution, House Republicans could not impeach Joe Biden despite holding control of the House for the last two years. And after a four-year investigation of Hunter Biden, the best (or worst?) the Trump-appointed special counsel could do was allege that Hunter denied he was an addict on a standard form gun purchase application and paid four years of taxes late.

So, we should take the Convicted Felon’s threats seriously, but we should recognize that MAGA has a dismal track record of delivering on their revenge fantasies.

With that preface, let’s look at the various ways that MAGA extremists are seeking to protect Convicted Felon Trump after 34-guilty verdicts.

• Speaker Mike Johnson floated the idea of defunding special counsel Jack Smith, something he rejected in early May (before the guilty verdicts).

• Senate Republicans have signed a letter vowing not to cooperate on any legislation that does not directly relate to public safety.

• Convicted Felon Trump said that “it’s very possible that it’s gonna have to happen”—referring to locking up his political enemies.

• Steve Bannon—a surrogate of the Convicted Felon—said that District Attorney Alvin Brag “should be—and will be—jailed.”

• Bannon also said that “media allies” of Biden should be “investigated.”

• The Felon’s architect of the Muslim ban—Steven Miller—asked, “Is every House committee controlled by Republicans using its subpoena power in every way it needs to right now? Is every Republican DA starting every investigation they need to right now.”

• GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson said “he would encourage Congress to ‘aggressively go after’ President Biden and his family.”

The Felon’s judicial allies are also doing their best to protect him from further criminal jeopardy:

First, the US Supreme Court continues to delay its ruling on Felon Trump's baseless claim of presidential immunity for his attempted coup and insurrection. Every day that the Court delays its decision makes trial in the DC election interference case less likely. The Court’s glacial response to a matter of national urgency is reprehensible. And transparently partisan.

Second, the Georgia court of appeals issued a stay of the trial proceedings in the state RICO prosecution of Felon Trump for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. See CNN Politics, Donald Trump election subversion conspiracy case indefinitely paused by Georgia appeals court.

The stay of the Georgia case is worrisome. Per the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the court of appeals issued a stay on its own motion. AJC writes:

Because none of the defendants had requested a stay, this means the appeals court decided on its own to issue the stay, leading some observers to speculate the court may ultimately reverse McAfee’s decision and disqualify Willis and her office.

The appeals court, if it agrees to hold oral arguments, has indicated it will do so some time in the fall, and it must issue its decision by mid-March [2025].

As Joyce Vance noted,

“Unlike federal courts where judges are appointed for life, Georgia elects its judges in races that are non-partisan in name only, with predictable results.”

So, unless and until a different prosecutor replaces Willis, the Georgia case is going nowhere. And if Fani Willis removes herself, it is not clear that a different prosecutor would pursue the case. I do not know how Willis would be replaced if she voluntarily steps down, but per NBC,

Under a 2022 Georgia law, when a district attorney is disqualified, the case is referred to the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, who is tasked with finding another prosecutor for the case.

If Willis is disqualified on appeal, we should expect the appointment of a prosecutor who will dismiss the case.

Third, Judge Aileen Cannon has dropped all pretense of presiding over a criminal trial involving unlawful retention of defense secrets and is converting her courtroom into a theater-in-the-round for right-wing attacks on the special counsel appointment process. In a move so unusual it has never happened before, Judge Cannon invited strangers to the Trump defense secrets case to submit briefs and present oral argument over a day-and-a-half hearing.

The challenges to the appointment of Jack Smith are baseless. Similar challenges have been rejected numerous times. But Cannon seems intent on fabricating a record to justify removal of Jack Smith. See Salon, "Not normal at all": Legal experts say Judge Cannon's "absurd" ruling shows she's an "absolute hack".

Meanwhile, Cannon has not ruled on Jack Smith’s request for a protective order to protect FBI agents and other witnesses from Felon Trump's dangerous accusations that they had orders to “shoot to kill” him during the search of Mar-a-Lago.

It is difficult to describe how inappropriate and unprecedented Cannon’s actions are. While we should avoid falling into conspiracy theories, it seems doubtful that Cannon came up with the stagecraft of a right-wing assault on the special counsel in her courtroom on her own. A plausible explanation is that she is being coached by political operatives working for Convicted Felon Trump.

All the above reeks of desperation to protect Trump from further political damage. Those who humiliate themselves and undermine democracy to protect Trump will be remembered by history alongside those faithless servants who abandoned America during prior crises. In the meantime, recognize that their angry outbursts are signs that they are running scared. They can visualize life after the Convicted Felon has been defeated and they understand they have given up everything for the worst president in American history.

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Senate Republicans vote against bill to guarantee access to contraception

In the Dobbs decision, Justice Thomas suggested that the rationale for overturning Roe applied to legal precedent that protected the right to contraception. Since Dobbs, state courts and legislatures have been chipping away at drugs and procedures (like mifepristone and IVF) that were protected before Dobbs. And Project 2025—the blueprint for a second Trump term—has a provision to allow insurers to eliminate coverage for contraception.

In short, there are warning signs that Republicans won’t stop until they have prohibited contraception. On Thursday, Senate Democrats put Republican intentions about contraception to the test. Democrats proposed a bill that would guarantee access to contraception.

Republicans defeated the bill, claiming it was unnecessary because contraception is protected under Supreme Court precedent. Of course, abortion was protected by Supreme Court precedent until it wasn’t. See NBC News, Senate Republicans block bill to protect access to contraception.

Senator Schumer intends to bring the bill up again—forcing more Senate Republicans to go on record opposing the right to access contraception. We must ensure that Democrats everywhere—especially men and women of child-bearing age—understand that Republicans are coming from their contraception.

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Opportunities for Reader Engagement

It is a truth universally recognized in the grassroots community that women have contributed disproportionately to the volunteer movement, which was responsible for victories in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The movement needs more men to be active. The Grassroots Collaboration Project is trying to increase volunteer engagement among men. Please see the important information below regarding the “Man Up” initiative.

We owe our democracy to women activists who have been at the forefront of the fight against Trump and MAGA for eight years. With the next five months all the time we have left to lay groundwork for the election, the Grassroots Collaboration Project (GCP) is rolling out a new "Man Up" initiative to mobilize more volunteers among men.

You can learn more about the Man Up initiative in a new Grassroots Connector article or check out the Man Up website and its user-friendly information to orient men who are new to election volunteer activities and opportunities.

Readers are also invited to learn more about Man Up at a Tuesday, June 18th, 8-9 pm ET Zoom. (RSVP here.) All are welcome on June 18th: men currently volunteering or not yet committed; women hoping that Man Up resources might be just the nudge about volunteering needed to move men who know how crucial it is for Democrats to win.

For men who are already regularly involved in volunteer work: contact us and tell us about it!

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Concluding Thoughts

President Biden is in Europe to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, one of the most important battles in modern history. President Biden issued a statement that said, in part,

As we reflect on the sacrifices made on D-Day, we are reminded that freedom is not free and it has never been guaranteed.  Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, and defend it in the battle between autocracy and democracy.

The sacrifices made on D-Day by soldiers from America, Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland saved Western democracy. The allies who launched the D-Day invasion remain allies today—a fact responsible for Europe's peace and stability for the last 80 years.  

Only an idiot would dismiss the events of 80 years ago as irrelevant to the current threats in Europe. On cue, enter J.D. Vance. As reported by Time Magazine in its interview of President Biden,

J.D. Vance, the Ohio Senator in contention to become Trump’s Vice President, tells TIME that the D-Day story has become a sepia-toned distraction. “The foreign policy establishment is obsessed with World War II historical analogies,” says Vance, “and everything is some fairy tale they tell themselves from the 1930s and 1940s.”

Got that? One of Trump's potential V.P. nominees sees the sacrifices of D-Day as a “fairy tale of the 1930s and 1940s.” Vance should tell that to the families of the 416,000 Americans who gave their lives in WWII to defend the right of idiots like Vance to make stupendously ignorant statements.

A GOP ticket of Convicted Felon Trump and JD Vance would be the living embodiment of an insult to American military veterans, living and deceased, who served their country with honor.

In the meantime, President Biden is honoring the memory of those who gave their lives in defense of democracy. The contrast could not be starker. But somehow, the message is not getting through to enough Americans. Over the next five months, we must be President Biden’s surrogates in everything we do and say. Our efforts are paying off. But we cannot relent. We truly have every reason to hopeful but no reason to be complacent.

Talk to you tomorrow!